1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to network printing (e.g., “cloud printing”) and more specifically relates to methods and systems for improved network printing using a printing system (e.g., a multi-function printer, scanner, copier device, etc.) where the network print server enables user selection of printer settings specific to the printing system's present configuration.
2. Discussion of Related Art
“Cloud computing” generally encompasses processing and/or storage of data based on the Internet or based on an enterprise intra-net. For example, cloud computing may encompass the concepts of Software as a Service (SaaS), cloud storage, and cloud printing. SaaS provides an application as a service for a customer to use on demand. Cloud storage generally encompasses the concept of providing/delivering data storage as a service, with the customer being billed for storage usage under a utility computing model (similar to traditional public utilities including electricity). Cloud printing generally encompasses a client process accessing a document from a cloud storage server and causing the document to print. As with cloud storage, a cloud printing user could be charged for the number of pages processed and/or printed. Often the client process in such cloud printing is the printing system itself on which a user interface allows a user to select a document to be retrieved and printed.
Cloud storage servers generally store a document in a generic, portable format—i.e., often in the Portable Document Format (PDF). The PDF format is not intended to be formatted for any particular printing system but rather is intended as just the opposite—a generic format that may be usable on most any printing or display system. Thus, the printing system per se or a print server coupled with the printing system (and coupled with the cloud storage server) must perform any customized formatting or finishing desired by a user when printing a document in a cloud printing environment. Since the processing for customized formatting or finishing may require substantial processing power, it is most common to couple the printing system with a print server that will provide desired formatting (e.g., as a SaaS application).
Where a print server is used to process formatting or finishing options it is a problem for the print server to provide sufficient flexibility to permit a user to fully customize the formatting or finishing options of a document to be printed. Each printing system coupled with the print server may have a particular configuration. Each printing system model may have a different set of printer settings that may be used to control formatting of a document to be printed. Further, each printing system may have one or more optional finisher units coupled with the printing system. Finisher units generally provide post-processing of a printed document and may provide, for example, stapling features, hole-punching features, binding features, folding features, etc. Thus, it is a problem for the print server to enable a user the full flexibility of selecting any document processing/finishing features but also limit the options to only those printer settings actually available on the printing system as presently configured.
Thus, it is an ongoing challenge in cloud printing to provide flexibility in the selection of printer settings in a printing system adapted to provide cloud printing capabilities through use of a print server.